Fall Beers 2014

20 Hearty Beers To Get You Through The Cold Months

Once the leaves start to turn, breweries start putting out beer prepping up for the cold weather. All kinds of Oktoberfest beers and pumpkin ales come first, followed by the winter brews. Whether they're meant for fall or winter, these beers are perfect for the cold weather; they're often dark, malty, and many have a slightly spicy taste to them. If champagne isn't your thing, some of these would make for a great alternate "bubbly" to toast New Year's with.

Dieu du Ciel! Solstice d’Été at 5.9% ABV from Montreal is one of my summer holdovers, and happens to be a very unique raspberry beer. It's literally bright red in color with a pink head and a dry, powerful raspberry flavor right from the first sniff through the finish. It's refreshing due to its very dry finish, and if you like raspberries, you owe it to yourself to try this beer.

Ayinger's Oktoberfest (also known as a Märtzen), at 5.8% ABV, is a classic German lager enjoyed during the fall Oktoberfest celebrations in Germany. It's one of many famous Oktoberfest beers, but also one of the best, with lightly toasted malt perfectly balanced with a gentle herbal hops. Slightly sweet in the finish, it's incredibly drinkable.

, at 6.3% ABV, is another classic take on the fall Hofbrau in the fall in Munich. Festbier. Even though it's got a slightly higher ABV than the Ayinger, it comes across with a lighter toasty malt and herbal hop profile but remains highly refreshing. It's easy to imagine drinking child-sized steins of the

Švyturys Baltijos Dark Red Märzen is a Lithuanian take on the classic Oktoberfest. As you might expect, this beer shows off a bold red color rather than the usual Oktoberfest copper or gold, and rather than toasty malt it has a strong caramel character. It finishes fairly sweet with a pleasing alcohol warming, even though it comes in as a relatively modest 5.8%.

Howe Sound Pumpkineater, Imperial Pumpkin Ale is the first of my next category of beers, the Pumpkin Ale. In the last few years the Pumpkin Ale has become a harbinger of fall for most brewers. This beer from Howe Sound has a huge pumpkin pie aroma but also has a tremendously balanced flavor between the spice, sweetness and hops. It's got a huge ABV at 8%, but the ingredients mesh so well you never really notice it.

Elysianof Seattle's Night Owl Pumpkin Ale completely blows out the spicy pumpkin aroma with a bounty of nutmeg, cinnamon and clove but somehow manages to maintain a great balance, light body and relatively dry finish. Somehow the piece of pumpkin pie used to make this beer was infused with air and made drinkable. It clocks in at 5.9% ABV, but tastes practically sessionable.